1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to toys for household and other pets and, in particular, to toys containing an elongate “flag” bearing a compartment for holding a pet treat or other pet-desirable item.
2. State of the Art
Stuffed fabric toys in the form of animals, bones, balls, and other shapes have been popular toys that pet owners purchase for their pets' play and entertainment. Pets, particularly dogs and cats, appear to enjoy discovering what is inside the toy. It is commonly observed that dogs and cats enjoy chewing or tearing toys and, where possible, tearing open the body of a stuffed toy and removing stuffing from the inside. This activity, although entertaining to the pet, destroys the toy and makes a mess. Envision the pet owner returning home to find her entire house or yard strewn with pieces of shredded fabric and stuffing material requiring time-consuming, tedious cleanup.
Recently, stuffed toys have been created with durable tear-proof fabrics, such as Kevlar. This prevents destruction of the toy, along with the accompanying mess. A curious pet, no matter how persistent, however, cannot discover what is inside a Kevlar toy. Thus, the pet's enjoyment of the toy is reduced by this limitation. Additionally, such toys often require the pet owner or other person use the toy to play with the pet, which cannot be done if the pet owner, family member, etc. is working or otherwise not available.